Portrait of a young girl.

Watercolour and pencil, 24,0 x 18,0 cm, hardboard, signed and dated "Alston / 58".

A young child holding a stuffed animal in her hand. Alston (1907-1977) was an American painter, sculptor and illustrator who lived and worked in New York City and was active in the Harlem Renaissance. In 1990 Alston's bust of Martin Luther King Jr. became the first image of an African American displayed at the White House and Alston was named one of President Barack Obama's favourite artists. Alston travelled to Belgium in 1958 on behalf of MoMA and the State Department where he coordinated the children's community centre at Expo 58. This is the context in which the present watercolour drawing was created. He was particularly known for such portrayals of children and families in colour schemes inspired by Cezanne's palette and geometrical shapes. His works are now in the collections of the major museums of modern art.